WASHINGTON — Republicans on Saturday slammed a Democratic bill before the House that seeks to address climate change, arguing that it amounts to an energy tax on consumers.
In the GOP’s weekly radio and Internet address, U.S. Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana said Congress should open the way for more domestic oil and natural-gas production and ease regulatory barriers for building nuclear power plants.
“During these difficult times, the American people don’t want a national energy tax out of Washington, D.C.,” said Pence, the third-ranking House Republican. Pence reiterated what GOP lawmakers have been saying for weeks: that the climate bill capping releases of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases would lead to much higher energy costs and accomplish little to counter global warming if other nations do not act as well. The bill’s supporters counter that the costs can be minimized. The GOP plan Pence outlined included no mandatory limits on greenhouse gases. The Associated Press
